Finalist Selection & Judging
Once the nomination process has closed, a volunteer committee drawn from Film Liaisons in California, Statewide (FLICS) gathers all of the nominations received and prepares an official first-round ballot. In August, the ballot is distributed to FLICS offices throughout the state, each of which casts one vote per award category to establish a set of finalists.
FLICS voters devote their primary attention to the 350-word written section that accompanies each ballot. This is why concise descriptions of jurisdictions, locations, etc., and stunts/pyrotechnics are so essential during the nomination process. Consideration is also given to how well the nominee communicated with the local FLICS office and cared for the community during production.
Once the results of the FLICS vote are in, the list of nominees is narrowed down to a list of three finalists per award category, who are then notified of their finalist status by COLA volunteers.
Finally, just before each year’s awards program in October, finalists’ work is reviewed by a distinguished, ten-member panel of judges that includes veteran location professionals, producers, unit production managers and industry union representatives.
The finalists and winners are recognized at the year’s California On Location Awards event.
2011 Panel of Judges
 STEVE DAYANBusiness Agent Teamsters Local 399 |
 ED DUFFYBusiness Agent Teamsters Local 399 |
 MIKE FANTASIALocation Manager Teamsters Local 399 |
 TIMOTHY HILLMANLocation Manager Teamsters Local 399 |
 KENT MATSUOKALocation Manager Teamsters Local 399 |
 BILL MACDONALDWriter / Producer |
 MARCUS MORTONWriter / Producer / Entreprenaur |
 DAVID PHELPSDir., External Relations Association of Independent Commercial Producers |
 RICHARD PRINCEProducer / Production Manager |
 NINA RUSCIOProduction Designer |
2011 Judge Bios
STEVE DAYAN
BUSINESS AGENT
TEAMSTERS LOCAL 399
Steve Dayan serves as a Business Agent for Studio Transportation Drivers, Teamsters Local 399 in Hollywood, the local which represents studio drivers, location managers and casting directors.
As a senior official with Teamsters Local 399, Dayan has skillfully cultivated strategic relationships with labor leaders, elected officials, management and the media. Dayan was tapped by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve on the board of the California Film Commission. Dayan also served as Chairman of the Board for FilmL.A. in 2005.
Dayan started his career in entertainment working as a studio projectionist and assistant editor. His first foray into location management began with the 1983 television movie “The Day After.” Since then, Dayan worked as a Production Supervisor on “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Volcano.” He has scouted film locations across the United States and Central America including in Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica and Mexico.
Some of Dayan’s other credits include the television programs “Moonlighting,” “Shannon’s Deal,” “Man on the People.” Feature credits include: “City of Angels,” “Ed TV,” “The Cable Guy,” “The Net,” “Home for the Holidays,” “Fifteen Minutes,” and Imax 3-D Cirque Du Soleil project entitled “The Journey of Man.”
ED DUFFY
BUSINESS AGENT
TEAMSTERS LOCAL 399
Ed Duffy serves as a Business Agent and Trustee for Studio Transportation Drivers, Teamsters Local 399 in Hollywood, the local which represents studio drivers, location managers and casting directors.
As a senior official with Teamsters Local 399, Duffy has skillfully cultivated strategic relationships with labor leaders, elected officials, management and the media. Duffy currently serves as the Chairman of FilmL.A. and has served on its executive board since 2009.
Duffy started his career in entertainment working for Chuck Fries Productions and EMI Television before becoming a Location Manager. During 28 years of location work, Duffy worked on such shows as “Dynasty,” “Moonlighting,” “Melrose Place,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and “The OC.”
Duffy holds degrees from UCLA in Motion Picture/TV Production and Political Science. He and his wife Kathy live in Manhattan Beach with their son, Rob.
MIKE FANTASIA
LOCATION MANAGER
TEAMSTERS 399
Mike Fantasia is a location manager working in Los Angeles.
Fantasia started his entertainment career in 1989, when Universal Pictures went on-location to the remote Montana town where Fantasia made his home. As a thirteen-year employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service, Fantasia could not have expected that his career would soon take a surprising turn.
Since leaving the Forest Service twenty years ago, Fantasia has worked as a location manager and production supervisor on more than 30 feature films. Among them are “A River Runs Through It,” “The River Wild,” “Free Willy,” “Dante’s Peak,” “Blow,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Seabiscuit,” “Munich,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Quantum of Solace,” and most recently, “The Amazing Spiderman.”
Work has given Fantasia opportunities to travel to more than 35 U.S. states and a dozen foreign countries. Fantasia is also a four-time nominee for the California On Location Awards’ Location Manager of the Year Award, winning awards in 2005 for “Memoirs of a Geisha” and 2010 for “The Green Hornet.”
TIMOTHY HILLMAN
LOCATION MANAGER
TEAMSTERS 399
Timothy Hillman is a location manager working in Los Angeles.
Hillman started his entertainment career 24 years ago, leading to a move to Los Angeles from Chicago. Previously, Hillman worked as a real estate broker, and before that as a musician, traveling around the country with various bands for more than a decade.
After racking up more than 30 feature film and television credits, including “10 Items or Less,” “Monster in Law,” “Road to Perdition,” “Fifty First Dates,” “Castaway” and “Magnolia,” Hillman transitioned into television.
For the past five years Hillman has managed the popular Los Angeles-based television drama “CSI:NY.” His work on the show earned him an award in 2010 as COLA’s Location Manager of the Year, Episodic TV.
Hillman holds a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
KENT MATSUOKA
LOCATION MANAGER
TEAMSTERS 399
Kent Matsuoka is a location manager working in Los Angeles and locations throughout California and the Pacific Rim.
In his career, Matsuoka has been called on to scout and manage shoots in the blistering heat of Death Valley, the icy slopes of Mt. Hood, offshore on the oil rigs dotting the California coast and the slums of downtown Los Angeles.
Additionally, Matsuoka has managed shoots in Japan, Thailand, Mexico and Hawaii, in the process developing an extensive network of contacts throughout the Pacific Rim.
Matsoka’s professional affiliations include steering committee membership in Teamster Local 399 and membership on the AP Council of the Producers Guild of America. He also holds a seat on the board of directors for the Location Managers Guild of America, where he serves as chairman of the international committee.
Matsuoka was named the California On Location Awards’ Location Manager of the Year for Commercials in 2010.
BILL MACDONALD
WRITER / PRODUCER
Bill Macdonald is a writer/producer whose credits span films and TV series. He recently was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Writers Guild Award for writing the popular HBO series, “Rome,” which was called the most ambitious cable series in television history.
McDonald is currently collaborating with Bruno Heller on a new action adventure TV series set in ancient Rome called “Coliseum,” as well as an international television series inspired by “The Saint.” His partners in this venture are Geoffrey Moore, son of Sir Roger Moore who was the first television Saint, and Jorge Zamacona, producer of the TV show “Wanted.”
Bill’s many credits as producer include: “The Saint” starring Val Kilmer, “One Man’s Hero” starring Tom Berenger, “Molly” starring Elizabeth Shue, “Jade” starring David Caruso, and “Sliver” starring Sharon Stone.
Bill’s film company has also produced many films and TV shows, including “The Two Jakes” starring Jack Nicolson and “Gettysburg” starring Tom Berenger and Jeff Daniels. Bill was President/Partner in the Robert Evans Company at Paramount Pictures for five years.
MARCUS MORTON
WRITER / PRODUCER / ENTREPRENEUR
Marcus L. Morton is a multimedia entrepreneur, film writer and producer with a proven record of accomplishment in the fields of music, film and high tech.
Morton began his entertainment career in the music industry, rising to Vice President with EMI Records North America, where he worked with many Grammy-nominated artists.
Morton then transitioned to the film industry, going on to produce several successful movies such as “Three Strikes,” “Molly,” and the number one film “You Got Served”. At present, Morton has several projects in development including the television miniseries “Flying Tigers.”
Morton is a member of the Producers Guild of America and Writers Guild of America. He also served for two terms on the California State Film Commission under former Governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Morton was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and splits his time between his home there and his home in Los Angeles.
DAVID PHELPS
DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS
ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT COMMERCIAL PRODUCERS
David Phelps serves as the Director of External Relations for the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, a national association that represents commercial production companies in various media for advertisers and agencies.
Phelps works with AICP’s 280 member production companies and nationwide network of vendors and suppliers nationally to ensure a film-friendly business environment at the federal, state and local level.
Previously, Phelps managed government relations for the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, where he forge a diverse coalition of businesses, labor unions, entertainment groups and neighborhood councils in calling for meaningful and comprehensive business tax reform. Later that year, Phelps was named a “40 under 40” Top Business Professional in the San Fernando Valley Business Journal for his role in that effort.
Phelps is a native of the San Fernando Valley. He received his B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Northridge and is completing his Masters Degree in Public Administration.
RICHARD H. PRINCE
PRODUCER/PRODUCTION MANAGER
Richard H. Prince is a successful producer and production manager for feature films and television. His career spans more than three decades and the film and television genres.
Prince’s credits include: “License to Wed,” “The Visiting,” “Saw,” “Dukes of Hazzard,” “The Animal,” “The Replacements,” “Rules of Engagement,” “Angels in the Outfield,” “Rocketman,” “Gone fishin’,” “Richie Rich,” “The Distinguished Gentleman,” “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey,” “Only the Lonely,” “White Fang,” “The Bedroom Window,” “Personal Best” and the D.G.A. award-winning television film, “Murder in Mississippi.”
Prince also worked as an Assistant Director on “Risky Business,” “Uncommon Valor,” “My Bodyguard,” “The Stunt Man,” and “Heaven Can Wait.”
Prince is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. A graduate of the D.G.A. Trainee Program, Prince also holds also an MBA and BA in Film/Television Production from UCLA.
NINA RUSCIO
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Nina Ruscio is a production designer for studio and impendent features.
Ruscio specializes in scratch builds and radical location enhancements, providing her an opportunity to work on all production design projects of all kinds, from labor-of-love art films to mega-budget-effects films to HBO dramas and big studio comedies. Ruscio’s current project is “Shameless,” a new series for Showtime/John Wells, shooting in Los Angeles or Chicago.
Ruscio’s past credits include art-house features with directors Alan Rudolph and Nicolas Roeg. Her production design experience includes television series and the the HBO movies “Normal,” “If These Walls Could Talk II,” “Big Shots,” and “Nash Bridges.”
Today, Ruscio production designs studio features like “Spy Game,” “Volcano,” and “Enemy Of The State,” as well as independent features like “Three Stories About Joan,” “Cheaper By The Dozen,” “Are We Done Yet?,” “Big Fat Liar,” “Breakfast Of Champions,” and “Just Married.”
